FanHouse StephenCurry

Warriors coach Don Nelson has gone out of his way to compare rookie Stephen Curry to a young Steve Nash. That's a nice comparison and one any young player would likely take.

But Curry's already got a mentor, thank you, and it's tough to argue with his choice: Chris Paul.

Curry and Paul, both from North Carolina, go back a few years. But this summer their friendship grew, the result of spending nearly a month working out together at various venues in the South.

Warriors haymaker Stephen Jackson is again talking to Yahoo!'s Marc Spears about the injustice of it all, in which "it all" is a $30-million extension from a bad team who has apparently broke its promise to stop sucking. Clearly, in the grand scheme of the Golden State's familiar foray into bleakness, Stephen Jackson is the victim, according to Stephen Jackson.

But he's also a cause, and not because of this latest impetuousness. The very fact that Jackson is considered the Most Valuable Warrior -- or even a valuable Warrior -- helped get Golden State into this mess.

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. -- For the second straight year, the Phoenix Suns hosted an outdoor preseason game at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in California. Only this time, the weather cooperated to make it a fantastic event in an atmosphere about as unique as they come by NBA standards.

FanHouse previews a player to watch from each NBA team in advance of the 2009-10 season.

Point forward. The final frontier.

These are the voyages of the... okay, that joke ran out of gas before it even started (much like the Warriors' playoff hopes. Hey-O!). The point is, the point forward position, the true point forward position is essentially the Holy Grail. Long rumored, we have specific evidence to support its existence (Magic Johnson), and often imitated (LeBron James), but no one has seemed to find it in years.

Enter Anthony Randolph and the Temple of Nellie.

FanHouse previews all 30 NBA teams in advance of the 2009-10 season.

The optimists around the Bay Area like to say that the Warriors' 29-win season in 2008-09 was primarily the result of too many injuries and a very young roster.

The pessimists say that last year's significant step-back-- from 48 wins the season before -- was mostly the result of poor management decisions that yielded a mismatched roster with too much overlap on the perimeter and not enough bulk on the interior.

The goal in 2009-10 is to figure out which side was right.

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OAKLAND, Calif. -- Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry weren't on the floor together at any point during the Warriors' 108-101 preseason opener against the L.A. Clippers on Sunday night.

That's going to change. Warriors' coach Don Nelson said so.

And you know what? Ellis, who at first wasn't crazy about the notion, seems to be coming around to the idea.

"You can't take anything away from him," Ellis said of Curry. "He can shoot, pass, defend, all of that. He's got the whole package. ... He's better than I thought he was."

Yes, it's a problem that Monta Ellis said on Monday he can't play alongside rookie Stephen Curry. But there's likely a bigger problem looming: coach Don Nelson might start to think Ellis is right.

Not only were Ellis' comments a shot at Curry, whom the Warriors selected with the No. 7 pick in the June draft, but he also seemed to be sending a clear message to Nelson. What Ellis essentially said was that the strategy Nelson was planning on employing this season was destined to fail.

After the Warriors took Stephen Curry, the New York Knicks adjusted to take Arizona forward Jordan Hill, who gives the club much-needed rebounding help and insurance should restricted free agent David Lee leave. Hill is a skilled player who should help bolster New York's post game and has the ability to run the floor in Mike D'Antoni's offense.

The Knicks obviously were relishing the opportunity to take Curry (as were the fans in attendance, who greeted Hill with a round of boos), but Hill would be a solid starter or key reserve. Hill could become the best player in the lottery in a few years -- behind Blake Griffin.

The Warriors surprisingly took Stephen Curry at No. 7, leaving supposed heartthrob Jordan Hill on the board. (Hill went one pick later to New York.) Curry had refused to work out for Golden State during the workout season, and the hubbub followed that the Warriors would avoid a point guard to avoid angering Monta Ellis, who fancies himself a modern day Cousy.

But there's a twist: all evening, a rumor that Phoenix is working on sending Amar'e Stoudemire to Oakland for a package of the No. 7 (Curry), Andris Biedrins, Brandan Wright and Marco Bellineli, has circulated. Marcus Thompson of the Contra Costa Times reports that Golden State may already be working on a tentative extension agreement with Stoudemire, who will be a free agent in 2010. Stay tuned.

In an uncertain NBA Draft, that so many prospects have avoided competitive workouts is a bit odd. No player but Blake Griffin is guaranteed a spot in the top three, so you think the usual "boy versus chair" auditions would be out. Nope. To date, Hasheem Thabeet has not worked out with another player, nor have James Harden or Tyreke Evans.

As the draft moves closer (one week away), Evans has changed his stance: he'll work out against Stephen Curry this Sunday in Sacramento. Evans had previously blamed scheduling conflicts for his evasion of big talker/defender Terrence Williams. The Kings had reportedly tried to set up the two when both were in town, but Evans' camp (led by brother Reggie -- no, not that one) nixed it. Either way, Curry and Greece-bound Nick Calathes will provide less physical foils for Tyreke. (And yes, this also serves to debunk the "Curry shuts it down" rumor ... although the sharpshooter still hasn't rescheduled with Minnesota.)